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Topic: The Slumber (Read 54459 times)

The city was deathly quite. The only sound that could be heard was the whistling of the wind. A fog covered the streets, which were deserted. Merchant stalls were turned over, horses lay slaughtered on the floor in a pool of their own blood. A huge battle had taken place here, but not of sword or magic. A much more vile thing had struck the people of Carentan. Izlude walked through the mist with a steady stride.

He was moderatly handsome, his hair was short and brown. He had green eyes that were so bright, it seemed to show his life force. He wore a full suit of armor, covered only by a, a poncho. If it was laid on the floor it would look like a long clothe with a hole in the middle. His brown belt held it tight to his waist, and his scabbard held his longsword. He had named it Hard Edge, which was actually quite an understatement. Hard Edge was a very unique sword. It had a silver handle and guard, with a circular red ruby in its center. The blade was made of a red crystal, It looked fierce in battle.

A week earlier, Izlude was summoned by King Leone. He was well known for his battle skill, he was a soilder in many wars, and had won countless tournements. So, he knew he was called to fight an enemy of the king. Sure enough, Izlude was asked to go check out the wealthy inhabited city of Carentan. It seemed that anyone who entered never returned.

Izlude had only just entered the entrance to the walled city, the huge gates were wide open. He walked a bit further, then stopped suddenly. He drew Hard Edge and held it in front of him. "Whos there? Answer me!" Â

"And who are you, sir, that you've come to this town of death with a sword worth a small fortune?" A shadow detatched itself from the wall, stopping a healthy distance from Izlude. It resolved itself into a young man in a tattered gray cloak. He was tall and thin to the point of gauntness, and had a shock of unruly black hair. His clothes were covered by his cloak, as were any weapons he might carry. "Five days I've been in this accursed city, and you're the first living man I've seen. More's the pity." He bowed slightly. "I am Moraten Li, guardian of Princess Althista of Jernos."

OOC: First off, id like to say that it is a great pleasure to rp with you Ria, I've read alot of your posts, and there good! Thanks for coming!

IC: What is a gaurdian doing here? Izlude withdrew Hard Edge, although he was ready to strike if need be. "I am Izlude Claiborne, I have been sent by King Leone to investigate this town. If you are indeed who you say you are, then what is your buisness here, and where is Princess Althista?" He asked in a polite but doubtful voice. It would be good to have company, even if the company is so....creepy

Pantera moved slowly through the ruin of one of the houses, it's former inhabitants lay in cold splatters of blood. She picked through the jewelry box of the lady of the house. One look at her death paled face told Pantera that the woman wouldn't be needing any more of her jewelry. Some of she donned, the best way to carry an emeral necklace was around her neck. She checked the jewel in the reflection of a shattered mirror. The pendant sat snugly between her breasts, cold against her skin.

For the tenth time, she pushed her hair out of her face, the novelty of the black barring having worn off some time ago. More jewels, mostly loose stones and some gold chain went into her small knapsack she wore around her waist. she hefted several gold coins she had taken from another corpse and guessed the mixture of colored stones to be worth more, she tossed them over her shoulder. She cringed as the metal coins rang against the flagstone floor of the house.

What if someone heard...she felt like a silly goose. Who would hear a lone treasure hunter, part time thief in a dead city. Pantera had no fear of the dead, or the undead for that matter, she had faced both and had come away alive in both circumstances.

Then she heard voices...

(OOC - Pantera's hair demonstrates stiping like a tigers, rather than streaking, or some other form of artificial hair coloration)

"My lady and our party were part of a diplomatic convoy set upon by brigands. We hoped to find some authority within these walls to protect us. The city, however, was as you see it. We scattered to find help. All we found was death. I do not know what killed my associates, for I never saw. Ten of us there were, and seven I have found, and seven I have buried. My lady and our guide I have not seen, and I do not know if they live still. But I cannot leave without them." Moraten stopped as the sound of metal on stone rang out from somewhere nearby. He produced a jointed metal staff from under his cloak and locked the segments in place. "We are not alone."

At this Izlude once again drew Hard Edge. He was a trusting person, and so he followed the sound, and called out "we know some one is there! Now come out peacefully or we'll drag you out!" He didnt like to draw first blood unless provoked, and he almost always gave fair warning to those under his blade. He was a fool that way.

Redwick Undersoor, half-dwarf explorer with a knack at getting into troublesome situations, looked up from his map. Then he looked down again. And up. And down.

"I've been tricked!"

Some days earlier, he had bought the map he was holding from a particulary sleazy-looking scoundrel in Gwysine, a port town whose primary imports were alcohol and primary exports were villains and thieves. He had come from over the sea on his long long jorney to explore the world around him (how many years had it been? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?), and needed quick information on the land he was now standing in. That was probably why he had bought the d**n map from the d**n scoundrel.

The map indicated that this city, Carentan, was a centre of trade and well-being, with plenty of nice little bars and generally friendly athmosphere. Obviously, it wasn't anymore. Good thing the half-dwarf still wore his dented old red armour and still had a sword of some kind. He scratched his red-haired head and wondered what to do next. Then he noticed some people who actually seemed to be alive. They seemed to be wary of something.

"OI! What's going on here? What's happened to Carentan?"

Logged

"Some people says that a dwarf never loses his way. The truth is that they never lose their map."Redwick Undersoor

Moraten glanced at in the direction of the shout, then redirected his attention to who or whatever was skulking about in the other direction. He did, however, wish that these people would quit insisting on drawing attention to themselves. Although maybe the noise would get the attention of the princess, or Saja... No, don't think about that, concentrate on the possible threat. "I do not know what happened here, nor do I much care. Perhaps you might help this other fellow determine that information? My advice will be limited to avoid going off by yourself, and maintain a low profile if possible. Death walks this city, and I do not know in what form."

Izlude simply nodded. He headed over to the confused looking dwarf. He took out Hard Edge, "This town is under investigation under the authority of King Leone of Isereth. I am Izlude Claiborne, and...." He thought for a moment, "are you looking for a well paying job?" He had found two people who seemed well equipped, and he wondered if Leone would pay them for their services in this matter. Izlude was no coward, but he usually worked alone, and it was good to talk to someone in the dark missions he was often sent on.

Moraten started advancing towards whoever was hiding. He might as well go with this... investigator. He had spoken truly; he really didn't care what had happened here. And he didn't need the money. But it clearly wasn't safe to wander this city alone; in fact, he counted himself lucky that whatever had killed his companions hadn't gotten to him yet. And it might help in his own quest, as he was no tracker. After all, he had promised them he'd never leave without them.

"Hey, no one needs to get ugly or anything. There is enough loot here for everyone." Pantera said, she had hoped that she had been overlooked, but it seemed that was not the case. Sometimes being a thief had it's disadvantages, and at the moment, being draped in several layers of necklaces and wearing ringss and bracelets enough for a troop of Princesses was usually not one of those. "Finders keepers, you know."

Moraten looked at the girl with narrowed eyes. It wasn't any of his business if a thief wanted to loot the dead, but there was always the possibility someone hadn't been quite dead when she had removed their belongings. Still not any of his concern. But something to watch out for. None of the jewelry he could see looked like the princess's, but she was wearing too much for him to be sure. He'd get a better look later. She didn't look much like she'd pose much of a threat to him; appearances could be decieving, of course. He didn't drop his guard.

Pantera gracefully exited the house she had hidden in by means of a broken window. The lengths of chain and jewels clattered and clinked as she moved. She was cautious, outnumbered three to one by a pair of rough looking men and a dwarf. She seemed to remember some bawdy tavern song that strated with such a premise, but it didn't end well for the lone girl. The weight of her one dagger, tucked into the back of her belt didn't seem like much of a comfort compared to the swords and such the others were carrying.

"So, A couple of months ago, I get a letter from my sister. She used to live here. Wanted me to come and visit, she worked in a jeweler's shop and couldt up and leave for no reason, right?" She said, the words coming a tad fast and at times trying to pile up on top of one another, like too many logs going downstream at the same time. "So, being a country girl I packed up some stuff and decided to pop in, say high, get a look at the big town. I get here, everyone's dead, place is trashed. I couldn't find her body, so I've been looking from house to house."

"Can't tell what happened though. Some of the places look like they were attacked, others looked liek they just fell over dead of surprise." She said, a tremor shaking her voice.

"I'm Redwick Undersoor, half-dwarf explorer, and I came here to get some drinks and a bit of rest. I've got some skill with the sword and some with the mind, and I'm ready to serve if there's gold involved."

Logged

"Some people says that a dwarf never loses his way. The truth is that they never lose their map."Redwick Undersoor